CX and SQ Regional J class - a comparison
Jan 24, 2003 | 12:59 am
#1
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London & White River, South Africa
Posts: 24,656
CX and SQ Regional J class - a comparison
Having spent the last 2 weeks bouncing around SE Asia, I thought it would be interesting to do a little compare and contrast on the regions 2 premier carriers. This part one, live from the BA F lounge in SIN. Part 2 will follow from the Pier in HKG!
CX901 HKG - MNL
22/01/03
777-300
Seat 17A
Check in: My BA Gold tags were spotted as I was wheeling my way to the CX f check in at HKG by an eagle eyed agent, and was whisked over to a counter. The F check in is very classy - the monitor that displays all your details is particuarly nice. One oddity was the my final destination was shown as SIN, not MNL! After a very warm greeting, the equipment changed was explained to me, and I was assured that the seat next to me had been blocked out. The appropriate lounge invitation was issued. Grade - A-
Lounge: The Wing was busy - a busy as i have ever seen it. Inspite of the aural interruptions from the terminal PA system, it's still a fine place to wait. The staff seem to have bucked their ideas up, and it is no longer necessary to hunt down someone if you want a drink. A quick surf later, and it's time to board. Grade - A-
Boarding:
I arrived at the gate just as boarding was announced. After fighting my way through a crows of homeward bound (and very happy) Filippino amahs, I was greeted by name at the gate, and ushered through. I rather surprised the crew when I arrived on the plane, but the ISM recoverd gallantly and showed me to my seat.
Having sat down, I was then swamped with blankets, papers, drinks, menus, headsets, immigration forms etc. Particuarly nice was the purser introducing herself personally when distributing menus. At this point I realised I was in for a cracking flight, as this crew seemed really focussed. Service from the heart one might say! Grade - A. Could not fault at all
In flight:
Pushback was on time, and after a swift taxi we soon blasted off 25L. Into the climb and the crew got busy. The ISM passed through the cabin saying hellos to the elites - the first time I have been called a Oneworld VIP. It's a nice touch, especially if you have an ego that needs massaging!
I won't transribe the menu, but the omlette and trimmings I had were pretty good. A nice touch was the provision of ketchup! One point to note is that the food is preplated in casserole dishes - trolley service is reserved for long haul flights. Service was great through out, with the ISM really doing a good job of making things work. Grade - A (again)
Arrival
We hit a minor ATC on approach, and spent a few minutes making pretty patterns in the sky over Manila. After landing and a reasonably short taxi to the gate, it was a short stroll through to queue-less immigration counter. The bags took an age in coming, and inspite of the F class tags, mine arrived halfway through with those from Y class, thus depriving me of the satisfaction of strolling away while everyone else waits!
Grade - C
All in all, one of the finest CX flight I have been one. The crew were truly excellent, very charming and responsive throughout the flight. SQ will have to try hard to beat this!
CX901 HKG - MNL
22/01/03
777-300
Seat 17A
Check in: My BA Gold tags were spotted as I was wheeling my way to the CX f check in at HKG by an eagle eyed agent, and was whisked over to a counter. The F check in is very classy - the monitor that displays all your details is particuarly nice. One oddity was the my final destination was shown as SIN, not MNL! After a very warm greeting, the equipment changed was explained to me, and I was assured that the seat next to me had been blocked out. The appropriate lounge invitation was issued. Grade - A-
Lounge: The Wing was busy - a busy as i have ever seen it. Inspite of the aural interruptions from the terminal PA system, it's still a fine place to wait. The staff seem to have bucked their ideas up, and it is no longer necessary to hunt down someone if you want a drink. A quick surf later, and it's time to board. Grade - A-
Boarding:
I arrived at the gate just as boarding was announced. After fighting my way through a crows of homeward bound (and very happy) Filippino amahs, I was greeted by name at the gate, and ushered through. I rather surprised the crew when I arrived on the plane, but the ISM recoverd gallantly and showed me to my seat.
Having sat down, I was then swamped with blankets, papers, drinks, menus, headsets, immigration forms etc. Particuarly nice was the purser introducing herself personally when distributing menus. At this point I realised I was in for a cracking flight, as this crew seemed really focussed. Service from the heart one might say! Grade - A. Could not fault at all
In flight:
Pushback was on time, and after a swift taxi we soon blasted off 25L. Into the climb and the crew got busy. The ISM passed through the cabin saying hellos to the elites - the first time I have been called a Oneworld VIP. It's a nice touch, especially if you have an ego that needs massaging!
I won't transribe the menu, but the omlette and trimmings I had were pretty good. A nice touch was the provision of ketchup! One point to note is that the food is preplated in casserole dishes - trolley service is reserved for long haul flights. Service was great through out, with the ISM really doing a good job of making things work. Grade - A (again)
Arrival
We hit a minor ATC on approach, and spent a few minutes making pretty patterns in the sky over Manila. After landing and a reasonably short taxi to the gate, it was a short stroll through to queue-less immigration counter. The bags took an age in coming, and inspite of the F class tags, mine arrived halfway through with those from Y class, thus depriving me of the satisfaction of strolling away while everyone else waits!
Grade - C
All in all, one of the finest CX flight I have been one. The crew were truly excellent, very charming and responsive throughout the flight. SQ will have to try hard to beat this!
Jan 24, 2003 | 4:11 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: FRA
Posts: 2,179
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Swanhunter:
especially if you have an ego that needs massaging!</font>
especially if you have an ego that needs massaging!</font>
Jan 28, 2003 | 5:34 am
#4
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London & White River, South Africa
Posts: 24,656
A slightly delayed part 2. I bumped into a colleague in the Wing, which prevented me from finishing this earlier. Now I am back at work, I have the time!
SQ71 23/01/03
MNL d 0805 SIN a 11:40
777-200
Seat 11A
Check In. Well, MNL is not HKIA, however it does have the benefit of being much, much smaller! All baggage is x-rayed and stickered before you get to check in. SQ has a dedicated check in area, which was pretty busy. Thankfully there was no queue at the First class desk. Formalities were quick and efficient, though it felt like a processing rather than anything warmer. Grade B, efficient but no sense of being special. I suspect this is largely due to MNL being an outstation against CXs home.
Lounge. Small! There are separate J and F lounges, though some of the facilities are shared i.e business centre and washrooms. Its not a bad facility, with 3 different coffee machines (all foul), plus a few hot and cold snacks and some booze. The lounge started empty and filled up rapidly with PPS members, plus 2 fully fare F pax. The flight was way oversold in J, and I saw at least 2 PPS Solitaire receive the Holy Grail, an op-upgrade to F on SQ! A pity its only the 777..
Grade B again it wasnt going to compete with the Wing, as its not SQ s home. However, even the F class SilverKris lounge cant hold a torch to the Wing, save for serving Krug!
Boarding. Boarding was called very late from the lounge, thus avoiding the economy hordes. Before boarding all hand baggage was searched (rather badly), and poked about with a bit of bamboo. A very cheery agent was ripping up the boarding passes, and wished me a good flight. Once on the plane, I picked my way to the bulkhead seat. The flight was full, and it was obvious that the crew had their hands full. However, the rather abrupt way that menus and headsets were handed at you hinted that this wasnt going to be a great experience.
In flight. The food was distinctly horrible boiled potatoes not being high on my light of breakfast dishes. The shrunken croissant was also notable! The food service was slow, as you would expect with a full load. What was missing was any sense of graciousness about service. It was all terribly robotic, with the exception of one male F/A who couldnt stop smiling. A pretty poor comparison to CX.
The SQ and CX seats are not dissimilar in general comfort. However, the SQ seat has more recline, and is less bulky giving the cabin a lighter feel. However it has the most pathetic footrest I have ever seen barely more than an inch wide!
The IFE was activated on this sector, but I did not indulge after realising I hadnt done any preparation for the afternoons meetings. Naughty me! Sadly there was no ego-massaging hello from the crew on this flight, which left me rather crushed.
Grade C+. I was thoroughly disappointed by the experience; it certainly looked poor in comparison to CX, but also did not measure up well to previous SQ flights. I am starting to realise just how restrictive SQ can be with their staff. They seem to try and train them to manage every situation which is great until you catch them unprepared. CX seem to allow a little more spontaneity.
Post flight. A straight in approach to SIN, and we were on the ground a little ahead of time. SIN is very quiet in Terminal 2 at this time of day, so we were allocated a convenient gate. Immigration was a breeze, and baggage reclaim speedy. My case was first on the carousel nice to see the F tags work properly at Singapore.
Grade A no complaints there at all. Always nice when priority bags are just that!
All in all, CX win, pretty much across the board. I think that even if you were to fly ex SIN, CX would still hit the mark higher. Its certainly been my impression over the last few months that CX are just pulling away from SQ..see Spacebed v New Business Class as an example!
Hope that was of interest, next up is Emirates J from DXB DEL!
SQ71 23/01/03
MNL d 0805 SIN a 11:40
777-200
Seat 11A
Check In. Well, MNL is not HKIA, however it does have the benefit of being much, much smaller! All baggage is x-rayed and stickered before you get to check in. SQ has a dedicated check in area, which was pretty busy. Thankfully there was no queue at the First class desk. Formalities were quick and efficient, though it felt like a processing rather than anything warmer. Grade B, efficient but no sense of being special. I suspect this is largely due to MNL being an outstation against CXs home.
Lounge. Small! There are separate J and F lounges, though some of the facilities are shared i.e business centre and washrooms. Its not a bad facility, with 3 different coffee machines (all foul), plus a few hot and cold snacks and some booze. The lounge started empty and filled up rapidly with PPS members, plus 2 fully fare F pax. The flight was way oversold in J, and I saw at least 2 PPS Solitaire receive the Holy Grail, an op-upgrade to F on SQ! A pity its only the 777..
Grade B again it wasnt going to compete with the Wing, as its not SQ s home. However, even the F class SilverKris lounge cant hold a torch to the Wing, save for serving Krug!
Boarding. Boarding was called very late from the lounge, thus avoiding the economy hordes. Before boarding all hand baggage was searched (rather badly), and poked about with a bit of bamboo. A very cheery agent was ripping up the boarding passes, and wished me a good flight. Once on the plane, I picked my way to the bulkhead seat. The flight was full, and it was obvious that the crew had their hands full. However, the rather abrupt way that menus and headsets were handed at you hinted that this wasnt going to be a great experience.
In flight. The food was distinctly horrible boiled potatoes not being high on my light of breakfast dishes. The shrunken croissant was also notable! The food service was slow, as you would expect with a full load. What was missing was any sense of graciousness about service. It was all terribly robotic, with the exception of one male F/A who couldnt stop smiling. A pretty poor comparison to CX.
The SQ and CX seats are not dissimilar in general comfort. However, the SQ seat has more recline, and is less bulky giving the cabin a lighter feel. However it has the most pathetic footrest I have ever seen barely more than an inch wide!
The IFE was activated on this sector, but I did not indulge after realising I hadnt done any preparation for the afternoons meetings. Naughty me! Sadly there was no ego-massaging hello from the crew on this flight, which left me rather crushed.
Grade C+. I was thoroughly disappointed by the experience; it certainly looked poor in comparison to CX, but also did not measure up well to previous SQ flights. I am starting to realise just how restrictive SQ can be with their staff. They seem to try and train them to manage every situation which is great until you catch them unprepared. CX seem to allow a little more spontaneity.
Post flight. A straight in approach to SIN, and we were on the ground a little ahead of time. SIN is very quiet in Terminal 2 at this time of day, so we were allocated a convenient gate. Immigration was a breeze, and baggage reclaim speedy. My case was first on the carousel nice to see the F tags work properly at Singapore.
Grade A no complaints there at all. Always nice when priority bags are just that!
All in all, CX win, pretty much across the board. I think that even if you were to fly ex SIN, CX would still hit the mark higher. Its certainly been my impression over the last few months that CX are just pulling away from SQ..see Spacebed v New Business Class as an example!
Hope that was of interest, next up is Emirates J from DXB DEL!